Hawaiian Airlines Flight Delay Compensation: Complete Guide to Claims 2025

You’re all set to fly to the mainland, but your jet? Not jetting. Mechanical issues, says the gate agent over the intercom. 

There are certainly worse places to be stuck than Hawaii, but we’d all like to be on our way, wouldn’t we?

In several common circumstances, you're entitled to compensation if your Hawaiian Airlines flight has a controllable delay. Compensation might look like travel credits, meal vouchers, and free accommodations.

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What Hawaiian Airlines Owes You for a Delay According to Their Contract of Carriage

Hawaiian Airlines has very comprehensive policies for handling significant, controllable flight delays. 

• A significant delay is 3 hours or more for domestic flights and 6 hours or more for international flights.
• A controllable delay includes things within the airline’s control, such as maintenance issues, baggage loading, or crew problems. 

Note that Hawaiian Airlines does not guarantee cash compensation for any flight delays. In fact, no domestic airlines have committed to this. 

However, here is what they do offer:

Rebooking

According to their contract of carriage (the legal binding agreement made between the airline and its passengers), Hawaiian Airlines will attempt to rebook you on alternative flights and provide various amenities depending on the length and cause of the delay.

In addition to simply rebooking you on another Hawaiian flight, the airline has committed to working with their partner airlines to get you on one of their flights if there is no availability with Hawaiian flights.

Meal vouchers

If your delay extends beyond 3 hours, Hawaiian Airlines will provide you with a meal voucher.

Important note: No alcoholic beverages are included in these vouchers, so don’t expect your mai tai to be covered!

Complimentary accommodations

Hawaiian Airlines has promised to provide hotel accommodations under specific circumstances:

• The delay is expected to exceed 3 hours
• The delay extends into the period between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am
• No scheduled alternate transportation is available to your destination
• You don’t live in the city where the delay occurs

If Hawaiian Airlines books you a hotel for the night, they also offer ground transportation for you to get there and back. 

If the hotel doesn’t offer a shuttle, the airline will cover alternate services, like an Uber or similar service. 

If, for some reason, the airline is unable to secure your ground transportation to the hotel, they’ll reimburse you for the Uber ride. 

Travel credits

Hawaiian Airlines may offer you a travel credit in lieu of all those extra amenities, to avoid giving you a full refund.

Travel credit is valid only on Hawaiian Airlines flights for one year from the issue date. You can’t transfer it to other people, so use it or lose it.

Keep in mind that giving customers travel credit is a much better deal for the airline than refunding them. They aren’t shelling out all that cash, plus the odds of you coming back and using that travel credit with them within 365 days is pretty low.

Unless you’re certain you’re going to use it for something specific, decline the travel credit and just ask for your money back! 

Refunds

If you reject rebooking options, accommodations, and the travel credit and decide not to fly at all, that’s when you are entitled to a full refund.

This will be automatically applied to you, thanks to a rule from the Biden-Harris administration. 

It’s important to keep in mind that you can’t claim a refund if you accept the airline’s accommodations, credits, or rebooking offers!

Understanding Your Rights for Hawaiian Airlines Delay Compensation

As a passenger affected by a delay, it’s helpful to understand the relationship between the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and airline companies and your rights therein. (How’s that for legalese?!) 

Background: The U.S. Department of Transportation regulations

Technically, the DOT does not require airlines to compensate passengers affected by flight delays. 

However, the DOT does enforce the promises that airlines have made to their customers, which are specific and include amenities and services for customers experiencing controllable delays.

The DOT has created an Airline Cancellation and Delay Dashboard that details what each airline has committed to providing for their customers in the instance of flight delays and cancellations. 

I highly recommend you check it out and have it handy whenever you’re flying — it’s a fantastic resource!

What makes a delay

A “significant delay” for domestic flights means your flight has been delayed by 3 or more hours. For international flights, it’s 6 or more hours. 

There are two different categories of delays: controllable and uncontrollable. 

• Controllable delays include things like maintenance issues, baggage loading, or crew problems. These issues are within the airline’s control — because of that, it’s on them to correct your itinerary.
• Uncontrollable delays include weather, air traffic, or “acts of God.” The airline has no control over thunderstorms, for example, or international tensions that delay your flight. These are called “force majeure” events.

The DOT requires airlines to follow through on their specific promises to customers in the case of a controllable delay. 

If airlines fail to adhere to their own commitments, you can file a complaint with the DOT, which will hold them accountable.

Delays beyond Hawaiian Airlines’s control

While you are entitled to compensation from Hawaiian in the case of controllable delays, uncontrollable delays are a different story. 

When a flight is delayed because of weather, security concerns, or other “force majeure” events outside of the airline’s control, passengers have fewer protections. 

Hawaiian Airlines lists the following as examples of force majeure events:

• Weather issues
• Civil unrest, terrorism, and other security issues
• Pandemics
• Labor-related disputes such as strikes and lockouts
• Government regulation
• Shortages of labor, fuel, or facilities
• Damage to an aircraft or equipment caused by another party
• Medical emergencies

In these situations, Hawaiian claims, “In the event of a Force Majeure Event, we may cancel, terminate, divert, postpone, or delay any flight…without any liability to Hawaiian.” 

They follow up, however, by saying they may rebook passengers on a new flight, but it isn’t promised.

Essentially, the airline has made no commitment to providing complimentary accommodations, travel vouchers, or other amenities when delays are outside their control. 

So, what can you do? Truthfully, not much. 

You could proactively change your flight ahead of time if weather reports aren’t looking good, especially if the airline has already published weather warnings for airports you’ll be flying in or out of. 

But outside of that, airlines are not legally obligated to provide services to you if a delay is out of their control. 

Cancellation compensation

What if your flight is completely canceled (for any reason) and the airline can't rebook you?

In that case, according to the Biden-Harris administration’s rule, you’re entitled to a full refund “of the ticket purchase price, minus the value of any portion of transportation already used.”

Tips: What to Do When Your Hawaiian Airlines Flight Is Delayed

Don’t panic! Delays happen, so if you stay cool and remember your rights as a passenger, you’re already ahead.

Communication is key

When you book your flights, include your correct phone number and email address so the airline can reach you when there are delays or changes to your itinerary. 

Hawaiian Airlines says they will communicate with you accurately and in a timely manner, so keep your phone handy for those text alerts or other notifications!

Agents from the airline should be available to address your specific needs, so talk to them politely and firmly to make sure you get what you’re entitled to as a passenger. 

This is an instance where having that DOT dashboard or the Hawaiian Contract of Carriage handy will work in your favor. 

If you run into problems with an airline agent, show them the dashboard on your phone. Legally, they cannot deny you any of the services listed on the dashboard for Hawaiian Airlines!

Sometimes, if there’s a long line at the gate to speak with an agent, it may be faster to connect with an airline representative through the Hawaiian Airlines website, text them at 38285, or call their helpline: 1-800-367-5320. 

Alternative Compensation Options

If the airline doesn’t offer you satisfactory compensation right off the bat, the two main alternative options, in order, are travel insurance and credit card insurance.

Travel insurance coverage

If you purchased travel insurance, you might be eligible for additional compensation beyond what Hawaiian offers. 

Generally, travel insurance covers unanticipated expenses when you travel domestically or abroad, including travel interruptions like delayed flights.

Check your policy — many cover expenses like meals and hotels even during weather delays.

If you don’t have a travel insurance policy, you can shop for one that suits your needs through an online broker like VisitorsCoverage.

Credit card travel protection

Many credit cards offer trip delay protection if you booked your flight with them. This includes paying the taxes and fees on flights booked with miles. 

These benefits often kick in after shorter delays than airline compensation and can cover more expenses. 

For example, if you booked your flight with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, you might receive compensation of up to $500 per ticket if you’re delayed 6 hours or more. 

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TL;DR: How To Get Hawaiian Airlines Flight Delay Compensation

Hawaiian Airlines has comprehensive compensation policies for delays within their control. 

For delays over 3 hours (6 hours for international travel), you could receive travel credits, meals, and potentially hotel stays. Don't be afraid to ask for what you're owed!

Remember: These are commitments Hawaiian has made to its passengers. They are obligated to follow through on these promises.

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Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.